I got a pair of jdm headlights for my conversion and for the most part they are really clean but there a few minor scratches and some cloudy spots. I want to redo them but hear so many different versions on how to polish plastic lenses. If anyone has a link or done this please reply.

 

This article on team integra shows a guy using never-dull on his USDM lights, you can try that.

http://www.team-integra.net/se...D=662

You can also try what this guy did with his tails:

http://www.team-integra.net/se...=1043

 

depending on how bad they are you can polish them just like you would polish the rest of your car. If they are just cloudy with out deep scratches wet sand them with some 2000 then rub them with some compound for a while, they should look good as new. The compound that you use is gonna make the most diffrence. Use a medium cut compound followed by a swirl mark remover. You can do it by hand or use a buffing wheel, but be carefull with a buffing wheel as you can melt the lens pretty quick. I know this from experience LOL.

 

I also picked up a jdm front. The head lights were a little cloudy and had some rock dips. Started off with some 1500grit then to 2000grit to take out any imperfections. After that i hit it with some Meguiars Plastx polish and it was good as new.

 

thanks for the replies

 

i read sumthin here a couple of weeks ago and sumone used to tooth paste and rubbed it on the lights and washed it off afterwards and they looked really nice.. he had b4 and after pixs

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by lovey408 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i read sumthin here a couple of weeks ago and sumone used to tooth paste and rubbed it on the lights and washed it off afterwards and they looked really nice.. he had b4 and after pixs</TD></TR></TABLE>

LOL @ ghetto toothpaste

you should really search, but compound + polish + wax works good, or you may have to wetsand it to get the failing UV film off the headlight.

 

ghetto but it worked good lol i used sum stuff the local honda dealers had behind there counter in the sales department.. seemed to work for me

 

Toothpaste is a mild abasive, that's why it works. I used to use it (mixed with heavy grease) to break in offshore fishing reels.

Depending on the depth of the scratches, you may have to sand them with a fine grit sand paper, just like you were wet sanding a car. Use a moderately aggressive cutting compound on a foam pad to polish them. Keep the speed down, keep it wet and make sure it does not get not enough to melt anything. Touch it now and then to make sure it is not heating up. Finish up with a fine polish or swirl remove, also using a foam pad and you will be fine.

One of my GFs just got an Eclipse with horrible headlights and I made them like new in about half an hour with a low speed buffer.

Best of luck with your project.